In additional to purchasing in-season produce, I’ve also started to shop based on what’s already in the cupboard and fridge in an effort to reduce how much I throw away – very much influenced by our Save the Food campaign at work. Every time food gets dumped in the trash I feel insanely guilty!
With that in mind, I was determined to find a use for a bunch of dates left over from the Summer Vegetable Couscous. With two cups of diced dates, Ina’s Date Nut Spice Cake was the perfect recipe!
I’m still getting the hang of baking – cooking is where I’m really comfortable. That being said, the tooth-pick test to ensure baked goods are done has never failed me – until now. After 50 minutes in the oven, I inserted a toothpick in two spots, both of which came out clean — the bread looked gorgeous! I removed the bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack, only to find the top caved in after 20 minutes. Cutting into it, I discovered that the upper middle portion was very much under-done. It still tasted great and was nothing a little orange cream cheese spread couldn’t cover up!
If you don’t have orange liqueur, you can soak the dates in the same amount of orange juice concentrate.
Book: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
Episode: Say It With Food
Rating: 3/5
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store Bought Is Fine: Cream cheese, orange liqueur
Good Ingredients: Pure Vanilla Extract
Recipe on Food Network Online.
